Strange things have happened the past few weeks here in town. Three by all accounts very popular Savannah restaurants have shut down. Some quietly, others with a little fanfare.

Cafe 37, Sol and Chiriya’s Thai Cuisine all served their last meals recently. The crazy thing about the closings is that anyone who has been to these places will tell you they were popular.

I can tell you Cafe 37 was one of my favorites in town. I sent people there all the time. Never had lunch with less than a full house and servers running up and down those stairs earning every nickel. The food was wonderful at 37. I never made it there for dinner, but I heard it was equally as good.

The same could be said for Sol on Habersham. They shut their doors on Nov. 30. Sol was extremely popular. It certainly was different, and they had carved out something of a niche with their dishes inspired by the Middle Eastern “spice belt.”

Sol was actually the perfect spot for something different. They had a challenge, though. They had indoor seating, but they were largely an outdoor restaurant with a huge patio area. Great if you wanted to bring the kids along with some sidewalk chalk, but not so great if it was hot, cold, rainy, windy, sleeting or snowing (hey, you never know).

Chiriya’s on the southside was arguably Savannah’s best Thai. And we have a lot of Thai. Many people swore by that place, but unlike Cafe 37, the few times I ate there or grabbed some takeout, there were only a few people there. It clearly wasn’t the food, though.

I never heard anyone say anything bad about Chiriya’s. All the opposite. Whenever the name came up, it was an homage to Mr. Food. “Oh, it’s so good!”

So what’s going on?

The windup essentially is simple. I have spoken to some people around town who gave me a little bit of insight. A few things apply here in some capacity.

Sometimes it’s a landlord/tenant issue. Sometimes you have enough business but not enough to continue to do things the way you’d like. Sometimes people get tired of the treadmill and choose to do something else. It’s not the first time I’ve heard a restaurant owner say something like, “Yeah, it was great and people loved it, but I’m ready to try something new.” It happens.

There’s a little bit of all of that at work here. So for now, despite all of the rumors of re-incarnations, Sol, Cafe 37 and Chiriya’s are closed.

There has been a lot of buzz around town about Chiriya’s re-opening downtown. Is that true?

Depends on who you ask.

I am told there is an on-and-off search for a new space, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. What is true is that Chiriya’s owners are trying something different downtown. The Bier Haus will be a German/Belgian-themed restaurant located at 513 Oglethorpe Ave., same area where Screamin’ Mimi’s and TaCa Sushi are located.

“I’m a beer man” says Marshall Urstadt, owner of The Bier Haus. “I’m going to do craft beers and a good bit of European food.

“I just got kinda tired of Thai food, really,” he admits.

Marshall tells me The Bier Haus is in demolition/rebuild phase right now, but he hopes to have it open by late winter.

“I’m just dealing with a lot of stuff with the city right now,” he says.

Good thing is, we have plenty of great food to go around in this area. And plenty of fun will be had trying to find it, Eat It, and Like It.

• The 5 Spot is now open at the old Clary’s location in Habersham Village. Try the steak tip chili. I very much enjoyed that.

• Quick reminder of our 12 days of Christmas recipes. We’ve had tenderloin from Andaz, grits from The Mansion and Pecan Pie from Lulu’s. Many more to come at SavannahNow and eatitandlikeit.com.

• Finally, The Hilton Head Island Wine and Food Festival is a tremendous event — March 4 through 9. They asked me to mention that they are looking for wine entries for the 2013 edition of their show. You can find them here: http://www.hiltonheadisland.org/winefest.

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to see Saigon on Broughton go under, too. Some of the best Thai food in Savannah (I was born and raised in Bangkok) and the best pho around. Just means more trips out west to the Schnitzel Shack when I'm craving good tom yum.

The building was a vacant shell before they got there and earned zero rent for the landlord who is a moron according to all who know her. She is known to be quite short sighted and mean. She decided that since it looked like Cafe 37 was always busy that they could pay her more for the same exact space. The restaurant looked at the numbers and realized the margins were too close and they could not survive. So now she gets zero rent again. Good job.

I don't have rich rich parent(s), I have a small business which I've worked very hard at growing, yes I am a hipster, and no I don't have a single tattoo or a beard, and no I'm not a mindless sheep,I read and think for myself and ignore most of what the media says,mostly. And yes I have a home vegetable garden, liberal friends,I wear plaid shirts, eat Organic,use my own bags at the farmers Market (yes the farmers market)and local grocers.I believe in hard work and not ruining the environment, and yes I do post great thought provoking things about the world in which we all live. But my music of choice is not only jazz...but classical, classic rock,folk,bluegrass....the list goes on and on. And I mention a family man? Sorry Mr.Stephens,but you can't group me into the elitist, hypocritical column. But I thank you for the meaningful conversation, and look forward to many more in the future.

Sounds like you are just the average Hipster. Possible SCAD graduate who refuses to leave Savannah and is a wannabe in the local green/art scene. Hangs out at Jinx. You are doing nothing original...the green hip organic food back to the earth movement peaked in the early 70's.Brothers and Sisters,communes, etc. I agree with Mr. Stephens. I read you past posts and saw no "great thought provoking things". Plaid shirts are on sale at the mall. Go get em and pick up some skintight jeans while you are at it. You can look just like every other fool walking around the Historic District.

Born and raised in Savannah ,Ga. Had the chance to go to Scad..but chose another school,and majored in Business. I hate clubs,and i'm sorry you don't like plaid,and yeah I usually buy my shirts from the mall(when their on sale.)And I don't expect to inspire such a close minded person such as yourself. But if you want thought provoking,visit: thebrowngreenblogger.blogspot.com or thegreenblog via twitter. And those skintight jeans you're referring to,I admit they do look foolish. And Mr. Stephens I haven't made a buck off the green movement. I like Mr. Stephens hate to see companies of all sorts claim to be green/Organic just to make a buck. Oh and "pangborn", if you want "thought provoking" novels, go to Barnes & Noble or the library,and read a book.

Sol and Cafe 37 both had abysmal food scores. At the time of their closing, they were 73 which is about as low as you can go without being closed by the health department.

I've noticed that this is a trend with restaurants. If their health score stays low, they tend to end up either closing or becoming much, much less popular. I for one don't mind letting people know not to eat at certain restaurants due to health and safety concerns.

Being a racist( or acting like one) knows no color,age ,social or economic background. But I tend not to focus on race. And thanks for the lesson Mr. Stephens. I met Mr. Cosby briefly some years back in Atlanta, funny as well as informative.